Texting Lingo 101

Aamoi I’m sete and rofl (or maybe just loti aamof) about this current topic. Don’t understand what I’m saying? I don’t blame you. Texting lingo has become so elaborate that now at times it’s like reading a whole different language. At first it was only the young people, but now older people are beginning to catch on as well and it’s almost as if we have created our own unique dialect of English. It’s quite fascinating really!

Webopedia is one of the many websites to offer a “dictionary” of sorts to help people decipher this cultural phenomenon. There are over 1,400 “entries” explaining the meaning of certain abbreviations. Some are common ones that everybody seems to know, such as “lol” (“laugh out loud”), “bff” (“best friends forever”), and “idk” (“I don’t know”).

Some are not-so-common—or at least I’ve never heard of them, but that’s not to say people don’t use them—such as “simyc” (“sorry I missed your call”), “cmiiw” (“correct me if I’m wrong”), and “dityid” (“did I tell you I’m distressed?”).

Is the growing use of “text speak” contributing to a decline in the intelligent use of language in our society? Maybe so, maybe not—who knows? (Although admittedly I do use this texting language from time to time, I try to keep such abbreviations to a minimum. I don’t want to lose my ability to communicate in full sentences!) But it is good to be aware of these things, especially if you are a parent, so that you can know and understand how people communicate with each other.

So don’t fret if you feel as if you’ve walked into a different country and culture! There are resources that can help. 🙂

What are your opinions of “text speak”? Do you use it? Are you against it?